Getting to Edinburgh from Outside the UK

Edinburgh is easily reachable from both the East and the West.

   Edinburgh Airport has flights which arrive from all over Europe, America and beyond. From the airport, transport to the centre of the city can be by taxi, shuttle or bus.

   Public bus services stop outside the UK Arrivals door on the terminal forecourt. There is an express bus service to Edinburgh city centre (No. 100). Buses into the city depart from stand 18, and operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

   The frequency of the service is from every 10 minutes at peak times through the day, to every 30 minutes at night. The ticket cost is £3 single or £5 return and can be bought from the information desk at International arrivals, from a desk at the bus stop or on the bus itself. The journey takes approximately 25 minutes and stops at Waverly Bridge, near the main railway station and bus station which are just off the city's main street, Princes Street.

   As an alternative to flying into Edinburgh, Glasgow Airport has further connections to the United States and worldwide. Glasgow International Airport is located 13km (8 miles) west of Glasgow City Centre and one hour away from Edinburgh.

   Scottish Citylink (Tel: 08705 5058 050) buses leave Glasgow Airport every 15 minutes to travel to Glasgow’s Buchanan Street bus station (journey time is approx. 25 minutes). Here you can transfer to a bus for Edinburgh (leaving every 20 minutes). The trip to Edinburgh takes 70 minutes and costs £7 return and £4.50 single journey.

   For those with little luggage, it is also possible to take the bus from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow’s Buchanan Street bus station, then walk 5 minutes to the Queen Street train station and catch the train to Edinburgh.

   By train, take a taxi from Glasgow Airport to Glasgow’s Queen Street train station (journey time approx. 20 minutes, costs around £15). From here take a train to Waverley Station in Edinburgh (leaving every 30 minutes). The trip takes 50 minutes and costs £7.30. Check the times if traveling at the weekend.

   Glasgow Prestwick Airport is located 48 km (30 miles) south of Glasgow. A railway station is adjacent to the Airport with regular direct trains to the city centre.

   The best way to get from Glasgow Pretwick to Edinburgh is by train. Glasgow Prestwick Airport has its own train station. Trains operate every 30 minutes (60 minutes on Sundays) to Glasgow Central Train Station between the hours of 06:00 - 23:08. The journey time is 44 minutes. Currently the cost of a single ticket into Glasgow Central Station is £2.50.

   For more details visit the Glasgow Prestwick Airport site or First ScotRail.

   Trains to Edinburgh from Glasgow run regularity up to four times per hour. A single ticket costs from £8.50. Timetables are available online.

   If your flight is early morning or late evening the best way to travel is via coach.

   The X99/X100 airport express bus service offers passengers, who arrive/depart on early morning/late evening flights, a direct service between the airport, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Passengers are strongly recommended to pre-book tickets, although they can be purchased from the driver on the day of travel subject to availability. Tickets for the X99/X100 services can be purchased online here.

   Tickets to /Edinburgh cost from £12 single and £20 return. The Timetable is available online.

   It is also possible (and sometimes cheaper) to fly to one of the London airports then make your way to Edinburgh, either by plane or train.

   The quickest way to travel from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted to Edinburgh is via plane. However if you chose to travel by train you will need to go to Kings Cross Train Station in Central London. All three airports operate an Express Train into Central London.

• Heathrow Express into London Paddington
• Gatwick Express into London Victoria.
• Stansted Express into London Liverpool Street.

   From these stations you can take the London Underground or a taxi to Kings Cross Train Station. There are, of course other ways to get from these airports to Kings Cross.

   If booked in advance trains from London to Edinburgh can be relatively inexpensive, with a travel time of 4-5 hours. The train from London arrives at Waverly station, on Princess Street in the heart of Edinburgh. For further information on train times visit travelinescotland.com or trainline.co.uk.

   To download a map of the London Underground, visit the Transport for London website.